Grab has announced a US$60 million (~RM250 million) investment in remote driving startup Vay Technology. Announced via its blog yesterday, the move is part of the company’s latest advancements towards autonomous mobility solutions.
For those who are unfamiliar, Vay is a Germany-based company now operating in the United States which offers a unique electric car rental service that uses remote driving technology. Through its app, users can book a car that is driven remotely by a “teledriver” to their location, eliminating the need to visit a physical rental point. Once the vehicle arrives, the customer takes over and drives it normally. The system aims to make short-term car rentals more efficient and accessible.
Vay launched its first commercial service in Las Vegas in early 2024 and continues to expand its footprint in the US. Its approach bridges the gap between traditional car rentals and full automation, potentially positioning it as a key player in the transition toward driverless transport systems.
Grab’s initial investment includes an option to inject up to US$350 million (~RM1.4 billion) more within the first year, provided that Vay meets certain performance milestones. These targets reportedly cover consumer revenue, the number of US cities served, regulatory approvals, and compliance with safety and technology standards. Grab CEO Anthony Tan stated that the company believes that the future depends on hybrid driving involving driver-partners and self-driving technology, as well as remote driving services.
As you may recall, this is not Grab’s first venture into autonomous technology. The company previously invested in self-driving firms WeRide and May Mobility, both of which are developing robo-taxi platforms. Grab aims to introduce such services in Southeast Asia as early as 2026, though it is still unclear whether we’ll actually see any iteration of these in Malaysia.
(Source: Grab [official blog])
